Santos opens Darwin shopfront at Smith Street Mall as $10m Barossa Aboriginal Future Fund announced

The oil and gas giant has opened a new office in the Darwin CBD, inviting the public to learn more about the company and ‘the benefits our projects bring for Territorians’.

Santos Manager NT Community Affairs Angelina Anictomatis, Santos Darwin General Manager Peter Kirkpatrick and Santos NT Community Adviser Kimberly Brewster outside the new Darwin shopfront. Picture: Supplied.

Oil and gas giant Santos has opened a shopfront in Darwin’s Smith St mall, offering the public a place to learn more about the company and its projects in the Territory.

The largest of its current NT investments – the Barossa gas project in the Timor Sea – has been delayed by at least several months and the total estimated cost blown-out to almost $7bn because of a failed legal appeal by Tiwi traditional owners.

Chief executive Kevin Gallagher on Thursday announced Santos and its joint venture partners would invest up to $10m into a newly formed Barossa Aboriginal Future Fund to drive development in coastal communities and homelands.

CEO Kevin Gallagher said the office was part of Santos’ efforts to “be a good corporate citizen”. Picture by Kelly Barnes

The Darwin CBD shopfront at 41 The Mall will host a local team to answer questions from the public, part of the company’s effort to “be a good corporate citizen”, Mr Gallagher said.

“We also want to listen and learn from the community – what we can do better or areas where we can play a role in supporting community endeavours.

“It’s a place where people can learn more about us – what we do, job and business opportunities, how we protect the environment, our community programs and why gas is so important to maintain energy affordability and reliability as we transition to a lower-carbon future.”

The new office space includes a separate meeting room for local stakeholders and partners where community presentations, meetings and information sessions can be hosted.

Property Council NT director Ruth Palmer.

NT Property Council director Ruth Palmer said the new shopfront was a welcome addition to Smith Street Mall, helping to create a more vibrant CBD for locals and visitors.

“It is encouraging to see business breathing life back into the Darwin CBD. We have long argued that the decentralisation of departments and businesses out of the city has a negative impact on the retailers and hospitality outlets, especially during the wet season,” Ms Palmer said.

“According to our most recent report on the office market, vacancy rates are once again on the rise and the available supply is at alarmingly high levels.

“Hopefully, more corporations like Santos will move into available space and revitalise older stock during 2024.”

Through the Barossa Aboriginal Future Fund, Santos has committed to spending $10m between now and first gas next year on improving community and homeland infrastructure, investing in health, education, housing and community resilience and establishing pathways to skilled, well-paid secure jobs and business opportunities.

The Barossa project stalled in 2022 when the Federal Court found in favour of an action by Tiwi Elder Dennis Tippalippa and the Environmental Defender’s Office forced the company back to the consultation table.

After the regulator ratified a second consultation round late last year, a last minute injunction from Traditional Owner Simon Munkara again stalled the project.

On January 15, Federal Court judge Natalie Charlesworth threw the application out, finding a researcher lied to Tiwi islanders during a cultural mapping exercise and said an EDO lawyer had falsely represented information provided by Elders.